Ning Que looked up at him and asked, "If you want to kill someone, go ahead. Why are you standing in front of my shop?"
The middle-aged man replied, "I'm waiting for the rain to stop, and I'm also waiting for a few people."
"When you wait for the rain to stop, it usually won't stop. When you wait for people to come, they usually won't come." Ning Que kindly advised.
"There must be a reason why they don't come." The middle-aged man smiled and said, "But can you let me have a serious talk with you instead of probing like those sadhus?"
"That's the right attitude. I don't like to walk around in Yunshan." Ning Que smiled and replied, "But I don't like to squat on the ground and talk to people standing, because there's a height difference."
"You can stand up."
"Why don't you squat down?"
The middle-aged man smiled and squatted down without any hesitation. The hem of his wet green robe covered the threshold of the Old Brush Pen Shop. Then he looked at Ning Que's young face and said seriously, "I'm having a hard time now."
Ning Que lowered his head and ate his noodles, waiting for him to continue.
"Many bigwigs want me to declare my position, but I can't do so in my current situation. So I'm being besieged now. My brothers and I have done things cleanly, and it's not convenient for the government to punish me with the law of the Tang Empire. So they've decided to kill me tonight. My opponents in the South and West City have all rushed here during the night rain."
"What about the people you're waiting for?"
"One of my brothers died a few days ago. Most of the remaining brothers have jobs in the government. Those big shots can easily use their jobs to trap them in the barracks and yamen. That's why I don't have many people here tonight."
The night rain continued, and it seemed to be getting stronger and stronger. It seemed like the person the middle-aged man was waiting for would not arrive, but he did not seem to care. He just calmly and gently talked about the situation he was facing, without any concealment. Then he looked at Ning Que beside him and said with a smile, "But none of this is a problem. My problem tonight is that I need someone by my side, but I can't find that person."
Ning Que glanced at the sword at his waist and guessed that it should be very small. He asked, "What kind of person do you need by your side?"
"Fast, fierce, and brave enough. I can't blink when I kill, and I can't let anything fall on me."
"Not including the rain, right?"
"Of course not."
"That's not a high requirement."
Ning Que scratched his damp hair and asked, "Why me?"
The middle-aged man's eyes fell on his right hand, which was holding the bowl, and said, "I've inquired about something. Although the woodcutter of Shubi Lake is not famous in Chang 'an, I know very well what a teenager who specializes in killing Horse Gang can do. "
After a moment of silence, Ning Que smiled and said, "Why should I go with you? What's in it? "
The middle-aged man appreciated the young man's straightforwardness. He flicked the rainwater off the oil-paper umbrella and said with a smile, "No one in Chang 'an knows my trump card. If I win tonight, I'll reveal my trump card. Then you'll know that I'm really a big thigh, and it's worth it for you to hug it."
"Since tonight is so dangerous, why don't you use your trump card first?"
"Because a trump card isn't a card, it's a person. I can't order him, but he can order me. He needs me to win tonight's battle, because he wants to see if the opponent has hidden cards in his hand. "
"Well, I'm really tired of this style of conversation. I just want to say that you may be a big thigh, but it's not very attractive to me. Since you know about the faraway Shubi Lake, then you must know that I once had the opportunity to hug a seemingly thin but actually one of the thickest thighs in the Tang Empire, but I didn't do it. "
Ning Que was naturally referring to the Fourth Princess of the Tang Empire, Li Yu. After saying this, he fell silent again. He put the bowl in his hand on the wet ground and squatted with the middle-aged man, watching the rain. At this moment, he suddenly thought of a scene in a story that he liked very much, and thought of Darkie's instructions in the small restaurant, so he made a decision. (Note)
After a moment of silence, the middle-aged man said, "Or … are you used to making a direct offer?"
Ning Que stretched out his hand to slap the annoying rain, and said neatly, "Five hundred taels of silver."
The middle-aged man frowned and suggested, "That's too little. Should we add a little more?"
The scene of the two haggling at the doorstep of the bookstore on a rainy night was really strange. The employer actually thought that the money was too little.
Ning Que turned to look at him and asked, "How many people do you think I'll kill tonight?"
The middle-aged man thought for a moment and said, "At least five."
Ning Que replied, "On the grassland, I might not get five taels of silver even if I kill five Horse Gangs. So don't worry, I'll definitely risk my life for five hundred taels of silver."
"I don't need you to risk your life." The middle-aged man looked at him with a smile and said, "If it's time to risk your life, you can leave first."
Ning Que shook his head and said, "That's not my style. It's really stupid to say that friendship is stronger than gold, but since we're doing business, of course we have to abide by the basic professional ethics. "
The middle-aged man smiled and reached out his hand. "Deal."
Ning Que reached out and shook his hand gently, then let go. He said, "My surname is Ning. Ning Que. "
"My surname is Chao, Chao Xiaoshu."
"What an arrogant surname, what a gentle name."
"People in Chang 'an call me Old Chao of the Spring Breeze Pavilion. You can call me Brother Chao."
"Chao Xiaoshu sounds better … Xiaoshu, are you the leader of the Fish-dragon Gang?"
"You can call me Old Chao … Besides, I've never admitted that I'm the leader of the Fish-dragon Gang. I just gathered a group of brothers to do something inconvenient for the imperial court."
Ning Que finally confirmed his identity and patted his shoulder with a smile. He said, "The leader of the largest gang in Chang 'an is still so modest. Xiaoshu, you're too hypocritical."
…
…
He pulled out the ordinary knife from the pile of firewood, found the boxwood bow and arrow quiver from the box, picked up the big black umbrella from the rough celadon jar, wrapped it layer by layer with old cloth, and then tied it all on his back. Then he searched the bottom of the box for a long time and found a black mask that hadn't been washed for a long time.
He carefully put on the close-fitting soft armor and put on an old short-sleeved arrow robe. He loosened his hair into the common style of the people of Yuelun Kingdom and covered most of his face with the black mask. Ning Que carefully looked at himself in the bronze mirror for a long time and confirmed that there were no flaws. He walked to the small kitchen and said, "I'm leaving."
Sangsang was cleaning the kitchen stove and washing the pots, bowls, and brushes. There was no expression on her little face, but there was a vague childish irritation in her slender eyes. For some reason, the little handmaiden put down the bowls and washed the brushes today, making muffled sounds from time to time. She wiped the bottom of the pot with the rag so hard that it seemed to be going through the black bottom of the pot.
Ning Que was slightly startled and then understood. He gently explained, "It's always good to earn some money. And I think that guy should have a strong background. I'll do him a favor in the future."
With a bang, Sangsang threw the rag on the edge of the stove and carried the heavy iron pot to pour the dirty water. The little girl twisted her waist and pretended not to see him or hear his explanation.
Ning Que rubbed his furrowed eyebrows. After a moment of silence, he said, "Darkie, that idiot, died after a casual sentence. Even if I wanted to make an excuse, I couldn't go to the Underworld to find him. So tonight, I will pay for him."
After saying this, he ignored Sangsang's little mood and directly walked out of the back house and into the shop in front.
As the leader of the Fish-dragon Gang, the biggest gang in Chang 'an, Old Chao of the Spring Breeze Pavilion had wandered in Jianghu for many years and seen many strange people. He knew that the young boss of the Old Brush Pen Shop must be one of them, so he was mentally prepared. But now seeing Ning Que dressed like this, he could not help but feel a little surprised. He looked at the mysterious thing wrapped in rags and said with a wry smile, "Looking at your dress, you don't look like you're going to kill people. You look like a poor man who owes gambling debts and is going to run away at night. Are you going to carry all your belongings?"
"I only carry a knife. You should be satisfied."
Ning Que walked to his side and glanced at the wind and rain in Lin 40th Street. Noticing that there was no one at either end of the long alley, he could not help but frown and said, "I hope there is no traitor among your brothers. I hope your brothers can keep this alley safe. I don't want the scene of me following you to kill people to become Suo Tu of the Chang 'an Local Government tomorrow."
Old Chao looked down at the black mask covering most of the lad's face and said with a smile, "Actually, you don't have to be so cautious. If you and I are still alive after tonight, then no one in Chang 'an or even the whole Tang Empire will dare to make trouble for you as long as you don't violate the law of the Tang Empire."
Hearing this, Ning Que thought to himself, "Who said that the biggest gang in Chang 'an had no background?" But he did not want to take off his mask to kill people openly. His clear voice came through the black mask, "I'm used to keeping a low profile."
Old Chao smiled and did not try to persuade him anymore.
The tranquility of the spring night had long been disturbed by the pitter-patter of rain, and now there was the sound of footsteps. Ning Que walked out of the doorsill, and Chao Xiaoshu opened the seemingly fragile oil-paper umbrella. Both of them walked into the night and the rain at the same time.
Sangsang rushed out. She stood in the doorsill, holding the heavy iron pot in her hands. She looked at the bowl of noodles on the table and the back of the figure in the alley in the wind and rain. She anxiously shouted, "Young master, you haven't finished your noodles!"
Ning Que looked back at her with a smile and said, "Leave it there and continue to eat when you come back."
Sangsang held the big iron pot and leaned her thin shoulders against the shop door which was wet from the rain. She shouted, "It's not good when it's cold!"
Ning Que waved his hand forcefully and replied with a smile, "Then cook another pot and wait for me to come back to eat."
Sangsang tightly pursed her lips and stared blankly at him turning around and leaving. Finally, she shouted, "I'll put more spring onions in it. Young master, remember to come back to eat it!"
Ning Que did not answer her, but the smile in his eyes outside the black mask became more and more obvious. Looking at the increasingly dark alley and the increasingly heavy rain, he suddenly asked, "Xiaoshu, where are we going now?"
"Spring Breeze Pavilion."
Old Chao calmly replied, "My home is there … and so is my enemy. Besides, I still suggest you call me Old Chao, because you are a small tree."
It was still raining in the alley. No one knew what was going on in Spring Breeze Pavilion.
…
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